I get it. In the world of fast food and instant information, anything that takes time seems to be frowned upon.
“You mean you haven’t signed that contract yet?”
“You mean you haven’t gotten 50 bazillion clients yet?”
“You mean you’re still making ends meet month to month?”
Here’s what I believe about being fast. Fast is the enemy of commitment. When I am thinking “how fast can I make money, find that next client, get the next project done, visit those 12 businesses,” I start to fade fast.
I can only handle fast for so long. And I know this to be true because for many years, it’s exactly how I operated. Running a political campaign? No problem, just don’t sleep for a year. Knock out my college degree? Done in 10 months. First job? I will be the best ever in 2 years.
My friends would joke that I couldn’t commit to anything for longer than a year. They were right. Because I went so hard and so fast that a year was the longest I could sustain. At the end, I was burnt out, exhausted, and in desperate need of 3 months of sleep. And then I would tackle the next thing.
There are some people who may look at some of those achievements and timelines and say “wow, that’s impressive.” Please don’t let that be the message you take away. Because in the midst of achieving, I was unable to have staying power. And life is about staying power.
I’m building this business with a team of people who are committed. We are here for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere. It may mean I occasionally have some lean months. It may mean there are weeks when things go incredibly well and I don’t sleep as much (coughthisweekcough).
But in the process, I am finding ways to be committed. To let go of fast and instead opt for staying power, excellence, and growth. To say with confidence “we may be learning a lot, but we’re not planning to go anywhere.”
That’s the power of commitment.
